China Urges Japan to Cancel Plan to Release Contaminated Water into the Sea
China has called on Japan to cancel its plan to release water contaminated by nuclear radiation into the sea, emphasizing the need for responsible disposal. The strong opposition from the international community has been ignored by the Japanese government, as it announced its decision to begin the discharge from August 24th.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry criticized Japan’s actions as “extremely selfish and irresponsible,” stating that such a move would spread the risks of nuclear contamination worldwide. China has expressed serious concerns and strongly opposes this decision, even making démarches to Japan.
The international community has continually questioned the legitimacy, legality, and safety of Japan’s ocean discharge plan over the past two years. Major concerns include the reliability of the purification facility, the accuracy of data on contaminated water, and the effectiveness of monitoring. Japan has yet to provide satisfactory responses to these concerns.
China, along with other stakeholders, has repeatedly pointed out that if the contaminated water from Fukushima is truly safe, Japan would not need to dump it into the sea. The spokesperson stressed that promoting the ocean discharge plan is unjustified, unreasonable, and unnecessary.
Unfortunately, Japan has not adequately addressed international concerns and has instead attempted to portray the ocean discharge as safe and harmless. Moreover, the Japanese government has baselessly accused neighboring countries that have expressed legitimate concerns, causing outrage among the people of both neighboring countries and Japan itself.
“The ocean sustains humanity. It is not a sewer for water contaminated by Japan’s nuclear radiation,” the spokesperson emphasized. China strongly urges Japan to stop its current course of action, cancel the ocean discharge plan, engage in sincere and goodwill communication with neighboring countries, responsibly dispose of the contaminated water, and accept strict international supervision.
China is committed to taking all necessary measures to protect the marine environment, ensure food safety, and safeguard the well-being of its people.